Re: Italian aircraft and their top aces
 

Csaba

Just curious. Why does Punka say four claims on 16.12.1942 if he only made two? Are the remaining Hungarian archives hard to read or is there some kind of dispute here?

Cheers
Stig

Re: Italian aircraft and their top aces
 

On that day, the Hungarian Bf 109 fighter bombers claimed four Il-2s, two by Pánczél and Bánlaky each. There are no conflicting details on the number of claims (albeit many other details are missing), two of them were claimed by him and two were confirmed to him. My aces book contains the most detailed description of these claims, which was ever published. I also published a original 1:500.000 Luftwaffe map of the greater area, where Pánczél scored his two kills on that day (I have a fine set of original wartime air maps, a number of different ones were used to create the book).

Re: Italian aircraft and their top aces
 

Thanks Csaba

Can we hope for a sooner rather than later translation of your book into English? :)

Cheers
Stig

Re: Italian aircraft and their top aces
 

Dear Csaba&Co,

I'm looking forward to the English version of your book, too.

Can anybody tell me what aircraft type Giulio Torresi was flying on 10Apr43 or how many pilots shared in his three shared kills of that date ?
http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/italy_torresi.htm

Michael

Re: Italian aircraft and their top aces
 

A Reggiane RE 2005 (362° sqd,22° Gr Aut CT)

michel

Re: Italian aircraft and their top aces
 

Hello Michel,

cool. Thank you.
Thus, Torresi has 4+3sh kills in the Reggiane Re.2005 which renders him a possible ace of that type.
Is there any chance to determine how many pilots shared in the three shared kills ?

Michael

Re: Italian aircraft and their top aces
 

Hello Michael.
Where did you get your info for Tuominen G.50 and total kills?
The only info I have is 42+4sh=44 total, 23 in G.50
Cheers
Peter

Re: Italian aircraft and their top aces
 

Good morning Peter,

how do you do ?
The best Tuominen biography I know is from Håkan Gustavsson's website:
http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/finland_tuominen.htm
Tuominen's Fiat score is 16 [15+2sh] + 1 balloon + 7 probables.

Cheers,

Michael

Re: Italian aircraft and their top aces
 

Thanks Michael.
I see the difference is that Biplane Aces have some of the kills listed as probables. I wonder which is more reliable/correct?
Thanks for the info.
Peter

Re: Italian aircraft and their top aces
 

Both are correct. There is a list made just after the Continuation War by the HQ of the FiAF. In it by adding up to every pilot all confirmed, all those accepted by the HQ without witnesses and all those cases accepted by the HQ without witnesses but which from the summer 1943 onwards were confirmed into regiment's/wing's account not into pilot's personal account. In that list Tuomonen has 43 victories. Later researchers had found some more air combat reports on accepted victories (in air combat reports there are markings made during the confirmation process and the ultimate decision) so Tuominen has got some extra victories but in a fairly new book By Keskinen and Stenman, Ilmavoitot/Aeriel Victories (osa 2/Vol 2 2006) the authors are marked the victories in the traditional Finnish AF way and also in the RAF way by marking all those accepted by the HQ without witnesses and all those cases that were confirmed into regiment's/wing's account as probables. So in the book Tuominen's score is given as 47 + 8 damaged and 35+12+8.